Potato-digger.



W. J. ADAMS & J. W. TOWNSEND.

POTATO DIGGEH.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 4, i915- L. v Patented May 23,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

W. 1. ADAMS & J. W. TOWNSEND.

PGTATO BIGGER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 4. IsI5.

Patented May 23, 1916 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 ,8,

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'JeirI-I- 'IIOI O @MMIII/I6@ www@ to the forwardend of the frame.

ride.

WILLIAM J". ADAMS ANI) JAMES W., TOWNSEND, OF LAUREL, DELAWARE, ASSIG'NORS 0F ONE-THIRD TO CHRISTOPHER C. ELLIS, OF LAUREL, DELAWARE.

PQTATO-DIG-GER.

Application f11ed .I une 4, 1915.

To all whom it may concern: i

Be it known that we, WILLIAM J. ADAMS and JAMES W. TowNsEND, citizens of the United States, residing at Laurel, in the county of Sussex and State of Delaware, have invented new and useful Improvements in Potato-Diggers, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to potato diggers and has for its object the production ofK a simple and inexpensive construction whih will be effective in its purpose and efiicient in operation.

One feature of the invention is to produce a novel construction of potato digger with an adjustable means for raising and lowering the digger into operative and inoperative position.

Another feature of the invention resides in the provision of a novel adjustment means for potato diggers that will facilitate the positioning of the digger in operative and inoperative position, with respect to the ground.

The invention further consists in other features of construction which reside in the' novel arrangement of parts and combination of elements which will be hereafter more fully described and finally pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the invention, showing the digger proper in inoperative position; Fig. 2 is a plan view of .the invention, as shown in Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a side sectional elevation of the invention, so taken as to clearly i show the operating parts and detail construction thereof. p

Similar reference characters denote similar like parts throughout the specification vand drawings.

Referring particularly to the drawings, 1 denotes a substantially rectangular frame having the draft tongue 2 suitably secured p Secured to and extending transversely of the frame l are the spaced brace members 3,l so arranged as to increase 'the rigidity ofthe frame. Bearing plates 1 are secured by means of the fastening members 5 tothe opposite outer sides of the frame 1 substantially at the middle thereof. vThese bearing plates 4 are provided with suitable openings to receive the axle or shaft 6. Thefree Specification of Letters Patent.

` Patented May 23, 1911i.

serial No. 32,150.

ends of the shaft 6 are suitably formed to provide the crank axles 7 adapted to be supported by the traction wheels 8.

The ends of the rear brace member 3 are extended downwardly to form the arms 9 to which is secured by the bolt 10, or other suitable securing means, the free ends of the substantially U -shaped member 11. The closed end of the member `11 is formed to provide the scoop or plow 12 having a tapered forward end and being provided on its i,opposite or rear edge with a plurality of fingers 13 extending upwardly and rearwardly of the plow 12. The fingers 13 consist of a comparatively short central finger and a plurality of fingers of gradually increasing length projecting from the rear edge of the plow 12 on opposite sides of said central finger. This peculiar construction and arrangement of fingers in practice has been found very efficient in separating the potatoes from the soil and for concentrating the discharge of the potatoes from the plow in a substantially straight line from said central finger, whereby the rows of potatoes dug are discharged from the plow in unscattered rows. rThe rotary disks 14: are arranged between the axle shaft 6 and plow 12 and are supported in position by the depending members 15 secured to the sides of the frame 1, as clearly shown in Figs. l and 3. Braces 16 and 17 are provided between the members 11 and 15 and the frame 1 to increase the rigidity of the parts mentioned with the frame 1.

The rotary disks 14: are suspended from the sides of the frame 1 so as to be positioned substantially on opposite sides of the plow 12 and are to proceed in advance of the latter toproduce a strip of ground to be acted upon by the plow 12. This invention is particularly adapted for the harvesting of sweet potatoes, the rotary disks 14 being adapted to straddle the row of potatoes and to divide the same from the rest of the bed. The potatoes in the divided row are then scooped up by the plow 12, and as the digger proceeds forwardly, the potatoes and broken soil .pass over the plow to the fingers 13 where the soil will be sieved through between the fingers. The potatoes will then pass over the fingers and be left substantially upon the top of the soil. A seat 18 is suitably supported on the frame 1. 1n the present showing, however, the seatis illus-f` trated as being supported by the supporting members 19 secured to the transverse braces 3 ofthe frame, the seat 18 being Yadapted to'lie substantially over the shaft 6.

It is contemplated by this invention to Y provide suitable means for raising and low- .l ering the plow 12 and disks 14 to and from Aoperative position, and also toprovide suitable mechanism that will facilitate this operation or adjustment. Therefore, we have provided a main operating lever 20 having one end pivoted tothe bearing plate 4 on the right-hand Vside of the frame and having a spring-.actuated dog 21 adapted to engage the segmental rack 22 secured to the frame 1. The usual grip releasing means Y are 'provided to cooperate with the lever 2()Y to raise the Vdog-,from engagement with-the teeth of thefrack 22. Secured to thev righthand crank axle is an arm or rigid projection 23 connected to the lever 20, above its fnlcrum"point, by the adjustable link24. By' having the'lin'k 24 adjustable by means of the nut v25, the'angle of theginain operatv ing lever 20 may be varied relative to the jconnected with said crank axle by an ann'ularv collar 28'surrounding the same.

AHVFrom'the above arrangement of adjust-- 1 ing levers, it will be seen .that when it is desired to lower the plow 12v and rotary disks l14 to'o'p'erative position, the leverv 20 is operatedA from a positionshown in Fig. 1 to vtheY position shown in Fig. 3. This lever,

Y through' the medium of the link 24, pulls `f lower with respect to the wheels 8.

'upon the Vaxle 7 and "raises the traction Vwheels v8, thus permitting the frame 1 to The lever 20 and the auxiliary or assisting oper- Vating lever 26 actuate in' unison and in the same direction. However, the effective operation f of the assisting lever Y'26 is only brought into play after a Ypredetermined .time during the `operation of the main operating- Alever 20, orwhat may be termed the center ofy operation `of the lever 20, see Fig.

3. Q The assisting lever 26'a`e`co`rding to its y' .disposition and 'connection Awith the left.-

hand crank axle 7? vexerts a pushing force A'upon the latter Aand carries the axles .7 and.

7a intothefinal position shown in'Fig. 3, it being'understood that whenthemain operating lever20 arrives at a substantially Yupright positionrthe operatorsitting upon Y the seat 18 can exert butlittlethrow on the lever`20, and consequently, the operation of `tion' shown in Fig. 1.

.otally secured to the frame,

Afor the axle, an operating lever secured to the. frame and connected the device is facilitated and expedited by the operation of the lever 2G.

When it is desired to raise .the plow 12 and the rotary disks 14 from operative position to an inoperative position, shown in Fig. 1, the main operating lever 20 is ie- Yleased from the ratchet segment 22 and lowered toward a position shown in Fig. 1, thereby exerting a pushing action against the crank axle 7 so as to lower the traction wheels 8. After a predetermined period, but during the operation of the lever 20, the force exerted upon the lever 20 is less effective than when the lattei is first operated. At this time the lever 26 is moved from a position shown in Fig. 3 toward a position shown in Fig. 1 and exerts a pull upon the crank axle 7 to carry both of the crank axles 7 and 7 a to a position shown in Fig. 1, past what may be termed the center of operation of the lever 20.

It will be apparent that by the vconnection and arrangement of the levers 20 and 26 with respect to the crank axles 7 and 7, these levers operate or move in the same direction to produce the raising and lowering of the frame from operative to inoperative position, and consequently, these levers may be grasped by opposite hands of the operator and actuated substantially simultaneously in one direction to produce the dcsired position of the digger. A pair of helical'springs29 are provided and have their forward ends secured to the tongue V2 and their rear ends to the crank axles 7 and 7",

respectively, by means of the collar 30. The

function of these springs is to keep the 4tongue from moving upwardly and to assist in moving the crank axles from operative to inoperative position, or in other words, from a position shown in Fig. 3 to a posi- The foregoing is a full and accurate description of the preferred form of the invention shown and described herein. However, itis to be understood that certain changes as to the exact construction and combination of parts may be resorted to that fall within the scope of the appended claims.

What we claim is:

' 1. In a cultivator, a frame, a plow memtraction wheels andH traction wheels with respect to each other, and assisting mea-ns for supplementing the operation of said last-inentioned means. Y

2. In a eultivator, a frame, cultivating members carried by saidframe, an axle pivtraction wheels with said axle for shiftingjthe same to move the cultivat- YVing'm'embers into operative and inoperative position, and an assisting lever carried by the frame and connected with said axle for supplementing the operation of said firstmentioned lever.

3. In a oultivator, a frame, Cultivating members carried by Said frame, an 'axle pivotally secured lto the frame, traction wheels for the axle, an operating lever se- Cured to the frame and connected with said axle for shifting the same to move the oultivating members into operative and inoperative position, and an assisting lever carried by the frame and connected with said axle and adapted to move in the same direotion as said operating lever for supplementing the effective operation o-f the latter after a predetermined time in the opera-- tion of said operating lever.

4. In a oultivator, a frame, cultivating members carried by said frame, an axle pivotally secured to the frame, traction wheels for the axle, an operating lever secured to the frame and Connected with said axle for shifting the same to move the cultivating members into operative and inoperative position, an assisting lever carried by the frame and Connected with said axle for supplementing the operation of said rst-men tioned lever, and means connected with the axle and frame tending to hold the forward end of the frame downward and assisting in the moving of said cultivating members into operative position.

5. In a oultivator, a frame, cultivating moans carried by the frame, a shaft rotatable on the frame and having its free ends formed to provide crank axles, traction wheels for said axle, means for raising and lowering said cultivating means into operative and inoperative positions comprising an operating lever pivoted to the frame, oonneeting means between said operating lever and one of said Crank axles, an assisting lever pivoted to the frame and adapted to operate in unison and in the same direction as said operating lever, and a connection between said assisting lever and the other of said crank axles, said assisting lever being adapted to operate effectively al.- ter a predetermined period in the effective operation of said operating lever.

6. In a oultivator, a frame, cultivating means carried by the frame, a shaft rotatable on the frame and having its free ends formed to provide crank axles, traction wheels for said axle, means for raising and lowering said cultivating means into operative and inoperative positions comprising an operating lever pivoted to the frame, an adjustable connection between said operating lever and one of said crank axles, an assisting lever pivoted to the frame and adapted to operate in unison and in the same direction as said operating lever, and a connection between said assisting lever and the other of said crank axles, said assisting lever being adapted to operate effectively after a predetermined period in the effective operation of said operating lever.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM J. ADAMS. JAMES W. TOWNSEND.

Witnesses:

CHRISTOPHER C. ELLIS, JAS. E. TULL.

i Gomes of thin patent may be obtained roive cents each, by addressing the Commisnioner of Patentn Washington, D. C. 

